Heat exchanger blocks are known, for example, from European Patent Application 0 515 924 A, in which multiple heat exchangers are screwed to each other in a manner not further shown, with the collecting tank or header for the coolant cooler integrated in the collecting tank or header for the oil cooler. Detachably assembled heat exchanger blocks are advantageous because detachable connection of the heat exchangers can be relatively stable, with no additional frame parts, rails, or the like being required. However, such connections can be difficult in a variety of applications, for example when the heat exchanger block consists of heat exchangers which are different in size, configuration and/or purpose.
DE 4 009 726 A1 and also in DE 195 09 654 A1 are also material prior art for heat exchanger blocks. For example, DE 195 09 654 A1 show use of two common (i.e., one-piece) collecting tanks or headers which are allocated to the different heat exchangers. While this may be advantageously used with heat exchanger blocks in which the heat exchangers do not vary in size, it also poses problems when the heat exchanger block is to be assembled from heat exchangers of different sizes. Further, the heat exchangers in DE 195 09 654 A1 also appear not to be thermally separated from each other, and as a result the heat from one heat exchanger can readily reach the adjacent heat exchanger, which is not desirable in many cases (e.g., where the heat exchangers are intended to operate in different temperature ranges).
A heat exchanger block consisting of a water cooler and an oil cooler is disclosed in 1946 U.S. Pat. No. 2,505,790, in which the two coolers are joined in the region of the narrow sides of the collecting tanks or headers, either detachably by screws through protruding shoulders, or by undetachably joining the sides (i.e., in one variant depicted there, two collecting tanks are combined as a single part, which was fastened detachably on the tube plate). A profiled support is arranged (see its FIGS. 1-2) as a single part between the narrow sides of the collecting tanks or headers, which support extends between the opposite collecting tanks and is additionally screwed to the long walls of the collecting tanks. The design layout of the connection appears to be demanding and no longer timely. Moreover, the profiled support hampers the development of the standardized joining technique.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.